Under the new law, people whose unreimbursed medical expenses exceed 7.5 percent of their adjusted gross income can claim a deduction for those expenses in 2017 and 2018.

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Lawmakers had initially maintained that tax breaks such as the medical expense deduction weren’t necessary because their tax bill would provide so many other overall tax benefits to families. (Photo: Shutterstock)

The deduction that allows people with very high medical costs to shrink their taxable income by subtracting some out-of-pocket medical expenses was a moving target during the congressional debate this fall. Some lawmakers wanted to repeal it, but people with serious illnesses or who need long-term care said that eliminating the tax break would be a serious financial blow.